Scientists to DOE: “Keep Working on Biodiesel”

John Davis

A committee of scientists that helps the government make decisions is recommending that the U.S. keeps working on biodiesel.

This story from Biodiesel Magazine says a National Research Council committee looking at the 21st Century Truck Partnership, a group of of federal government agencies and private industries, has told the U.S. Department of Energy to continue research into the green fuel:

The review was conducted at the request of Patrick Davis, director of the U.S. DOE’s office of FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies. It looked at the high-tech goals and research and development efforts put forth by the partnership, as well as further evaluate the program’s progress and direction and comment on the overall adequacy of the program.

The committee’s findings were published in the book, titled “Review of the 21st Century Truck Partnership.” In it, the committee recommends that the DOE continue its work with biodiesel developers and users to assure compatibility when blending biodiesel with regular diesel. It also said that current DOE work to find an alternative fuel to petroleum has been focused on resolving biodiesel issues, but the agency hasn’t provided a timetable for a successful resolution of those efforts. “Successful deployment will require resolving operational issues and updating the biodiesel specifications,” the review stated. “DOE should develop specific plans, including key actions and timetables, for 5 percent replacement of petroleum fuels.”

The DOE will take the advice into consideration.

Biodiesel, Government

POET Starts Ethanol Publication

Cindy Zimmerman

POETPOET has launched a new quarterly publication called “Vital.”

POET VitalOriginally created to replace over 100 separate newsletters POET distributed every year, Vital is putting a face to the ethanol industry. Throughout 2008, Vital will base its editorial on four main themes: the future of ethanol, community profiles, industry information and environmental advancements.

The first issue of Vital came out in April. The latest issue was mailed on July 7 to over 21,000 readers. The audience includes investors and government officials, as well as grain producers, community members, and other industry stakeholders.

The publication is printed on 100 percent recycled paper using soy-based ink. Online, it can be found at www.poet.com/vital.

Ethanol, News

Four Stations Sell E85 in Miami

Miami OpeningYesterday, nearly 3,000 gallons of E85 were sold within just two hours at four Miami, Florida fueling locations. E85 sold for $1.85 per gallon from 7 until 9 a.m. celebrating the opening of the E85 dispensing units.

A press conference kicked off the promotions at 6:45 a.m. at the Hallandale Beach U-Gas located at 990 W. Hallandale Beach Blvd in Hallandale Beach. This facility is the first in Broward County and this location will be used to fuel all of Enterprise Rent a Car’s flexible fuel vehicles.

“It’s made in the U.S. and it’s cheaper,” said Ignacio Urbieta Jr., co-owner of the Urbieta Oil Company which owns the Hallandale Beach U-Gas.

Additional E85 locations that opened in the state of Florida yesterday included those in Palmetto Bay, Hialeah, and Miami.

The promotion was sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council, Protec Fuel, and Urbieta Oil.

E85, EPIC, Ethanol, News

Ethanol Standard Important for Second Generation Fuels

Cindy Zimmerman

A Senate panel heard testimony Thursday that a reduction in the Renewable Fuel Standard would hinder progress toward next generation biofuels.

Senate Environment RFS hearing Meyers and ChalkDeputy Assistant Energy Secretary Steven Chalk told the Senate Environment and Public Works clean air subcommittee that keeping the current RFS policy in place is “critical to ensuring growth in all parts of the biofuels supply chain, from feedstocks, to biorefineries, to infrastructure, including pipelines.”

The hearing was focused on implementation of the expanded RFS, which was passed by Congress and signed by the president in December. The new standard increases the amount of renewable fuels required up to 36 billion gallons by 2022, with 16 billion of that to come from cellulosic sources.

Environmental Protection Agency official Robert J. Meyers testified that as the agency is working to implement “RFS2” they are considering the potential impacts of the standard and working closely with stakeholders at all levels. He noted that the agency received over 15,000 comments on the request by Texas Governor Rick Perry to waive part of the RFS and they will be making a decision later this month on the request.

Senate Environment RFS hearing PierceDuPont vice president for technology John Pierce told the committee that the expanded RFS is an attainable goal, both in terms of corn ethanol and cellulosic. “In fact, there are multiple technology developers intending to produce cellulosic ethanol in pilot or demonstration quantities from a range of feedstocks over the next 24 months. The economics and carbon performance of grain ethanol continues to improve as well, as does agricultural productivity and sustainability in the US. These trends suggest that while the RFS targets are aggressive, as they should be, they are not out of reach.”

Read all the testimony here on the Senate subcommittee website.

Cellulosic, Ethanol, Government, News

Where to Grow Alternative Energy

John Davis

The world faces a daunting task in replacing what’s known as the “cubic mile of oil” consumed worldwide each year. But like any gargantuan task, it all starts with small steps.

To help those small steps grow into sustainable replacements for our dependence on petroleum, this article from Forbes has some suggestions where the most fertile ground in the U.S. would be for alternative energy:

In Texas, for instance, that means wind…
The mountain passes and ridge tops of the Trans Pecos have the highest average wind speeds in Texas. The mountains in the state’s northwest region roll off the southern tip of the Rocky Mountains, and a maze of mountains and valleys funnel the wind into extreme speeds by the time they pass over ridge crests and mountain tops of the Guadalupe and Davis mountains…

Although solar energy varies less from season to season than wind energy, it still depends heavily on local environmental conditions. The town of Inyokern in southern California has the best environmental conditions in the country. Ensconced on the eastern edge of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Inyokern covers 11 square miles of Kern County in the dust-choked Mojave Desert. Those 11 square miles receive more solar insolation annually than any other comparably sized locale in North America…

For current commercial processes, the highest concentration of biomass is in the Corn Belt states of Iowa, Nebraska and Minnesota. But the long-term prospects for biomass are best with non-food based feedstocks such as switchgrass, wood chips and forest residues.

In addition, Alaska and Hawaii have great potentials for geothermal energy.

As you can see, there’s no one silver bullet for replacing oil. But if we use the places best equipped for each area’s strengths, maybe can get kick that greasy addiction.

Biodiesel, Ethanol, Solar, Wind

Rocket Scientists Seek New Wind Energy Sources

John Davis

Scientists with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are using nearly 10 years of satellite information to figure out where is the best place on the oceans to put up wind energy turbines.

This UPI story says they’re using NASA’s QuikSCAT satellite to search for homes for offshore wind farms:

QuikSCAT, launched in 1999, continuously tracks the speed, direction and power of winds near the ocean surface to predict storms and enhance weather forecast accuracy.

Ideally, offshore wind farms should be located in areas where winds blow continuously at high speeds and NASA said the new research identifies such areas. An example of one such high-wind area is off the coast of Northern California near Cape Mendocino.

“The protruding land mass of the cape deflects northerly winds along the California coast, creating a local wind jet that blows year-round,” NASA said.

Other good places around the world include Tasmania, New Zealand and Tierra del Fuego at the southern tip of South America.

Wind

Algae-Biodiesel Nears Commercial-Scale in New Mexico

John Davis

Researchers at a facility in New Mexico have reached a significant milestone in their hopes of producing biodiesel from algae.

This story from the Carlsbad (NM) Current Argus has details:

The Center of Excellence for Hazardous Materials Management recently harvested commercial-scale quantities of algae from its test salt water ponds located at New Mexico State University Agriculture Science Center in north Eddy County, according to Wren Prather-Stroud, spokeswoman for the nonprofit organization based in Carlsbad.

She said the produced oil appears to have all the right profiles for making high quality biodiesel fuel.
The algae are harvested from the ponds and pressed into a green paste, from which the oil is extracted.

Since 2006, the center has been conducting applied research in growing, harvesting and extracting oil from algae to find the most productive species to provide a biofuel.

The center hopes to produce enough algae oil to feed a commercial-sized biodiesel plant in the next 18-24 months.

Biodiesel

Ethanol Pumps Must be Labeled in Oklahoma

Oklahoma Corporation CommissionThe deadline has now passed for fuel station owners in the state of Oklahoma to have signage regarding ethanol at their faclities. They must now label their pumps indicating ethanol additives. This law will be in accordance with what was passed this last legislative sesssion.

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission will be inspecting pumps to be sure that the dispensers are labeled. Violators will face a $500 fine and will be shut down.

“They need to fix it immediately,” Commission spokesman Matt Skinner said, before adding, “We’re in a transition phase. We’re giving a little leeway.” The leeway indicates a short-term tolerance involving stations that right now “may” meet the spirit of the law if not the letter. And may is the operative word.

A fueling station’s sticker, for instance, could say the “fuel contains up to 10 percent ethanol.” Outside another station, however, the wording may say the gasoline “may” contain up to 10 percent ethanol.” Skinner noted that some businesses were having sticker issues and would eventually need to get more precise wording about their gasoline content.

It’s been reported that part of the incentive to sell ethanol blended fuel at a 10 percent blend is that it is significantly cheaper than regular gasoline. Ethanol costs less than $3 per gallon wholesale, while regular gasoline is selling at about $4 per gallon nationally.

Commission inspectors performed more than 18,000 tests at pumps last year and they indicated any stations violating the law now will be shut down.

Ethanol, Legislation, News

G8 Leaders Support Non-Edible Biofuels Development

Cindy Zimmerman

G8 leaders meeting in Japan this week pledged to promote clean energy and carbon trading to curb greenhouse gas emissions and recognized the importance of sustainable biofuel production.

G8-2008The heads of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the U.K., and the U.S. said they will work to develop science-based benchmarks and indicators for biofuel production and use. The leaders also said they are committed to “continuing research and development of second generation biofuels made from non-food plant materials and inedible biomass.”

Renewable Fuels Association president Bob Dinneen was pleased with the position taken by the world leaders. “The leaders of the G8 nations clearly understand the need of world’s nations and peoples to develop, produce and use renewable fuels like ethanol,” Dinneen said in a statement. “On behalf of America’s burgeoning ethanol industry and the farmers upon which it relies, we welcome the challenge to increase the sustainable production and use of biofuels. The G8 statement clearly recognizes the goal of biofuels policy which is to build upon the existing industry while moving aggressively to second generation production from wood chips, switchgrass, garbage and other cellulosic materials.”

Biodiesel, Energy, Ethanol, International, News

From Ethanol Plants to Potted Plants

Cindy Zimmerman

A team of Agriculture Department researchers may have found a new use for a by-product of ethanol production – controlling weeds in potted plants.

potted plantsRick Boydston and his team with USDA’s Agriculture Research Service recently completed a study on the use of dried distillers grains, or DDGS, as a weed deterrent in container-grown ornamentals. The study was published in the February 2008 issue of HortScience.

According to Dr. Boydston, they found that when applied to the soil surface, “Weed control was not perfect, but could reduce the amount of hand-weeding typically required.”

When mixed into the potting media, however, dried distillers grains were toxic to transplanted rose, coreopsis, and phlox plants. The researchers concluded that DDGS may be useful for reducing weed emergence and growth in container-grown ornamentals when applied to the soil surface at transplanting.

Dr. Boydston sees the results of this and similar ARS studies as a win/win for ethanol producers and the agriculture industry, noting, “identifying new uses for byproducts likes distillers grains could increase the profitability of ethanol production”.

Distillers Grains, Ethanol, News, Research